Album Review: United States Albums

I do not think you can have an agreed policy based upon how fancy the selvage is since the USPS can vary it so much and many are single subject.

There is no perfect album for every collectors. That's why they make blank pages. I've added hundreds of pages to a standard Scott National Album. I've added and moved so many pages, along with bring in older pages that are no longer in production, that I no longer know what a standard album order is anymore.

IMO,

Binders that don't lay flat are a non-starter.
Albums covered in vinyl are a non-starter.
Pages with pre-attached mounts are a non-starter.
Albums without slipcases are a non-starter.
Binders with proprietary drilling are a non-starter.
Albums which give no flexibility in what material is presented are, guess what?

I rate all such albums an F.

I have 24 White Ace binders with slip cases. They are standard 3-ring!
Why on earth would you ever commit to a proprietary drilling?!
I choose exactly what pages I want to include and can add and remove pages at will. I can even include other informative material as I see fit.

White Ace binders are rugged and professional looking; hardboard covered in faux leather. Vinyl ALWAYS splits, Yuk. The pages have rounded corners and are beautifully printed with color borders creating a very attractive presentation. For every border design you can get matching blank pages and do your own thing and still keep everything consistent.

I (mostly) collect US PN Blocks. These blocks can vary, somewhat, in size and I cut every mount custom to the block. Sometimes my mounts don't always exactly match the printed borders on the page and this is my only minor beef.

I absolutely detest being forced to buy pages for material I don't have and never intend to get. White Ace allows you to purchase pages for singles, blocks of four, PN Blocks, PN singles, zip block, copyright block, Commemoratives, Regular Issue, BOB, Coils, Booklets, by year, in sets... you name it. And I never have pages that I don't want. If you don't collect multiples of the se-tenant issues you can get their "simplified" pages, your choice.

White Ace (published by Washington Press) is not licensed to include the Scott numbers but, so what? How hard is it to look it up in the catalog? It's not.

On the down-side, the binders, pages and mounts (I use Scott and Showgard black, interchangeably) can sometimes cost almost as much as the contents, depending... So what? It's a hobby.

I wrap every page in a "traditional" side-loading sheet protector.
I store the albums in Rubbermaid bins, vertically. (Each bin holds exactly eight albums in their slip cases). My pages don't sag or curl and short of putting then in Fort Knox, my collection is as well protected as humanly possible.

Thank you for reading.
Happy collecting.
Rob

"IMO,

"Binders that don't lay flat are a non-starter.
Albums covered in vinyl are a non-starter.
Pages with pre-attached mounts are a non-starter.
Albums without slipcases are a non-starter.
Binders with proprietary drilling are a non-starter.
Albums which give no flexibility in what material is presented are, guess what?

"I rate all such albums an F."


Don't hold back. Tell us what you really think. :-)

Thanks, Paul.

Did I come across as a little opinionated? ;)

I'm new here and am still trying to figure out how to navigate this site.

I consider myself an avid collector but, many or, most on this board are probably
much more knowledgeable than myself...

One of the things about how I have organized my collection (with 3-ring and the page protectors) is that I can allow a non-collector (is that the proper term?) to handle and view my albums without fear of damage.

It's hard enough to interest the "others' if they can't even flip through the pages on their own.

Peace.

Everyone has their preferences. I have a mixture. For example, I have US souvenir pages in sleeves in a binder without a slip case and also have Mystic vinyl binders.

You did not mention cost and availability as criteria. I am no fan of White Ace pre-printed pages due to looks.

Metcalf:

My post was entirely in jest. Nothing at all wrong with your post. In fact, it's great to hear others' preferences.

Paul

Hi Angore,

I get it about the border design... a little over the top for some, no doubt.
Washington Press' site has all the pages and binders (cost=$$$$). I have purchased many of my pages on the "Bay" reducing the cost, somewhat.

I forgot to mention that the (White Ace) pages in a series are sequentially numbered which can come in real handy.

Bottom line, as stated by others, no solution works for everyone and, apparently no solution is perfect for anyone.

And Paul,

No, I got that... :)

Inflection is tricky in a text.

First post... big bang! Definitely not a troll... reflects my true experience and opinion.

I look forward to exploring this site and, perhaps, contributing if I ever have anything intelligent to say.

Cheers

don't care for white ace either

All of my mint sheets are in vinyl albums (SuperSafe and Scott).
Haven't found a better solution. So, no offense meant...

One of them (5 years) has already split. :(

You serious guys who collect fancy cancels, grills, watermarks, color variations,
over-prints and other stuff way out of my league would find nothing useful with White Ace.

As per my OP... I collect mainly PN blocks... Perfect for me.

You don't need to be an expert to realise the problems with White Ace

Very bad layout alignment

The layout is too much at left where are the holes, should be more at right, they should at least centre the stuff in the middle of the scroll

This Website style Banner on top, way to big, we know it's a US album no need to use 1/5 of each page for it.

I'm gone pass over many thing that can be matter of taste

If White Ace had a hingeless album, I'd probably go for it. To me, they have an over-the-top retro look, kinda fun.

Does anyone make a hingeless album for plate blocks? I don't think so....

Nothing wrong with White Ace pages or albums if you like that sort of thing. As for me, I don't find them very good looking in some ways, and certain other aspects of the binders and dustcases seem a bit "off" as well. Here are my feeling, for what they're worth, which anyone is free to disagree with, naturally:

1. Colorful pages distract from colorful stamps. When stamps are mounted on blank or black-and-white printed pages, they stand out. The eye is drawn to the stamps. When they're mounted on a colored page, the page itself competes with the stamps.

2. Colorful pages don't look particularly sophisticated to me.

3.White Ace uses an entirely too big top identifier. On the very first page of a collection this might be fun. On every page, it gets tiresome -- and it uses up far too much space on far too small pages.

4. Small-size 8.5 x 11" pages remind me of a school kid's notebook/ Better stamp albums used by top collectors use larger pages. Scott pages or Davo, Schaubek or Lighthouse sized pages allow for less cluttered pages that let the stamps breathe a little, allow room for added explanations or notes and are generally more appealing than smaller more cramped pages.

5. White Ace binders are sturdy, for sure, but that sturdiness comes with greater weight. Maybe it's partly the 3-ring binder mechanism, but I find that when pages get added, White Ace albums are unusually heavy for their size.

6. Binders with fewer rings can pop open, and these rings can snag pages and rip the holes while 2-post binders, springback or even some very well-made multi-ring binders cause less page damage and do not come open unexpectedly.

7. White Ace uses awkward and slippery plastic dustcases. These are clunky, cheap looking, and unappealing compared to heavy covered cardboard which just looks a lot more professional.

White Ace pages in some ways I kind of like. Their over-the-top colorfulness is kind of appealing for certain kinds of collections. I have a Xmas seal collection in a White Ace album, for example. But I thought it would be worthwhile to also look at some drawbacks of White Ace albums. I only have one or two WA albums, but they're not among my favorites.

I agree that vinyl-covered binders are a short-term investment that will eventually crack and rip.

For me, pages need to be larger and printed in black only, binders need to be sturdy but not heavy, rings or posts have to be well engineered.

I am not bothered by "propietary" hole punching much (but I understand the point) since I don't like the only non-proprietary hole punch system -- 3-ring pages. All other pages are proprietary, made by a particular manufacturer. Consequently, when I adopt a system, I have no problem buying the manufacturers blank pages to use in their albums, and it does not seem at all like a compromise when most other factors are better than 3-ring sized pages. I haven't collected for 60 years to mount all my beautiful stamps in a school kid's 3-ring binder where pages can rip or rings come open, and so forth. I understand some collectors use 3-ring pages for reasons of thrift, and more power to them. I don't need to so I avoid them.

My own preference for thrifty larger-sized pages is Schaubek or perhaps Davo. Lighthouse is beautiful but pretty expensive. Schaubek makes very good looking pages, uses well designed binders, and their cost is less than some of the others. Scott makes good quality albums, too, but their choice to use large 3-ring binders cooled me on their product as I find the look clunky and awkward, and the cost of their blank pages is actually far higher than Schaubek. Scott printed pages, however, are priced very fairly and are cheaper in fact than Davo or Schaubek. Everything is cheaper than Lighthouse, it seems.

These are some nicer pages from my SAFE albums. I collect mainly used classic USA stamps, 19th century, although I have many used/unused 20th century stamps as well. Thought I would show off for some collectors who may be considering different types of albums. Plus, I finished that key first page just recently and gives me a chance to show it off since my wife and daughters don't really care.

I need ability to customize my album. I don't need Scott numbers since I have memorized 19th century Scott stamp numbers . But for a collector of worldwide or beginner, that would be very important. SAFE doesn't have Scott numbers. I like to describe my stamps personally (cancel, certification, plate position). This is important to me. I find not having Scott numbers for the Wash-Franklins and later can be annoying, so I write them in!

I cannot fit the paper in my printer to print on these pages directly, so I do it differently.

I don't think there is a "perfect" stamp album and everyone collects differently. Everyone has different needs. With most albums you are limited by the choice of the page/album maker how you arrange stamps to some degree and which Scott numbers you need to collect to FINISH a page. Finishing a page is exciting, but if album has a spot for Scott 5, unfortunately most of us could never finish the page! I showed some custom pages for plate blocks and my new project.. One cent plate 1L right pane.










My goal is to finish page 2 and the top row plate 1L right side over next year or two!
If anyone wants to trade, let me know.

RE: the SAFE album pages: The pages appear to have clear, plastic pockets like Hagner or Vario stock sheets. Are the pockets open (like Hagner) or welded (like Vario) at the ends? Or are the SAFE pages unlike Hagner or Vario? And, if you know, are the SAFE pages like the Lindner pages?

Thank you!

P.S. Congratulations on finishing the first page! Very impressive!